BRADENTON – Local singer/songwriter Kristopher James returns this month with his second EP, featuring five rock-solid tracks that offer further evidence to suggest that the Bradenton native is on the verge of breaking through.
Find Me showcases James' signature style of soulful, genre-bending music, and, like his self-produced debut E.P., Movement:1, is ridden with introspective lyrical gems that one typically wouldn't expect from such a youthful songwriter.
James continues to impress with his memorable, almost hauntingly-distinct voice, as well as his impressive range. Whether he's softly carrying spare tunes like Heart Shaped Grave (a touching duet with ultra-promising SRQ female vocalist Sam Robertson), or turning it up on decidedly more electric tracks like the guitar-driven I'm Not Quite Ready–the EP's standout single– James' singing is on par with the top shelf of the alt-folk scene.
James is at his very best on deep cuts like I'm Not Quite Ready, the EP's title track and the bluesy opener, Fire & the Fuse, in which the full gamut of his gifts, including his considerable guitar skills, can be appreciated on a single track. Most impressively, he manages to transmit the raw, emotive magic of his live performances to create the same affectional bond with the listener on a studio track–a rare skill, indeed.
At his finest moments, James calls to mind such notable acoustic singer/songwriters as Jackson Browne and Jason Isbell, and the growth he shows on Find Me continues to make the case that Kristopher James is perhaps the most interesting local musician on the scene.
Dennis Maley is a featured columnist for The Bradenton Times. His regular column focuses on politics and appears each Thursday and Sunday. He also occasionally covers the local theater and music scenes. Dennis' debut novel, A Long Road Home, was released in July, 2015 and is now in its second edition. Click here to order your copy.
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